Renowned Sports Illustrated Sports Person of the Year, Deion Sanders, is currently passing through a rough patch in his personal life. The widely beloved athlete and his long-time fiancee, producer Tracy Edmonds, have abruptly ended their decade-long relationship. This development has drawn attention and sparked an intriguing debate since they have been engaged for five years, a significantly long duration by conventional standards.
While neither Sanders nor Edmonds has sought advice on this issue, their situation has prompted an interesting question about the appropriate length of an engagement period. Drawing from general perspectives, an engagement should not exceed two years. There is widespread belief that this duration provides a sufficient window for a man to decide if he wants to make a lifetime commitment to his fiancée.
The rationale behind this viewpoint is that within two years, a couple would have passed through all the festive seasons, allowing the families ample opportunities to interact and establish relationships. Therefore, if an engagement extends beyond two years, it might imply that a marriage proposal may never materialize.
However, some differing points of view hold that engagements should, in fact, be shorter, specifically within a year’s length. The premise for this argument is that an engagement in itself is an assertion of intention to marry. Therefore, the subsequent period should be seen as a preparatory phase for the wedding and not a lengthy duration of indecision. An 18-month period might offer a touch more lenability, however, the consensus still lies around the one-year mark.
Interestingly, following this debate, Sanders and Edmonds’ five-year engagement significantly exceed the suggested timeframe. The termination of their relationship seems to affirm the observations made, leading many to speculate that a proposal for marriage becomes less probable the longer an engagement is drawn. However, these discussions remain highly subjective and contingent on an individual’s personal circumstances and beliefs.